Cherry Tart
by Lexen
Summary: How a food fight helped Minerva find her soul mate.


**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. J.K. Rowling created it all, and no money is being made from this work of fan fiction.**

**AN****: I have no beta, and all mistakes are mine. This story is an entry in the "Pairing Hermione Granger" competition. This one-shot is also a gift for Saeshmea. It takes place not quite two years after the Battle of Hogwarts. It involves a relationship between Minerva McGonagall and Hermione Granger (who is an adult). Nothing here but silly fluff and a tiny bit of femme slash kissing. **

Minerva wondered if she should have let things get so out of hand. Truly, she wasn't sure who had started the food fight, but she knew that she had neglected to nip it in the bud when she had the chance. Albus would likely have just let it go for a while, but Albus wasn't here. Snape would have stopped it immediately, unless, of course, his slytherins were winning. But Snape was gone too. So she said nothing, sitting practically alone at the head table as she keenly missed the two bravest victims of the war. All her professors, including her deputy, had been coaxed, coerced, or dragged, with varying degrees of willingness, into the fray. She didn't begrudge them their fun, and if she hadn't been the headmistress, she might even have been tempted to join them. Though she hid it well, it hurt her that no one had tried to pull her into the fun.

The only other person still sitting at the head table happened to be her newest professor, Hermione Granger. Hermione had returned to Hogwarts to make up the time she had missed during her seventh year, and she had spent the following year in Australia, mourning privately as she put her deceased parents' affairs in order. She had kept in contact with Minerva though, and Minerva had been happy to offer her the vacant muggle studies position. Within a week of Minerva's offer, Hermione had returned, and the presence of the young witch was more of a comfort to her than she would readily admit. More and more lately, Minerva had to remind herself that she was far too old for a lover, especially one as full of life as Hermione. But against her better judgment, a friendship had developed between the two of them, and the headmistress couldn't help but notice that her student had grown into a lovely young woman. It was getting harder and harder to push away Hermione's increasingly obvious and completely inexplicable interest in the headmistress.

Minerva McGonagall felt a hand on her arm and looked up startled into Hermione's gently smiling face.

"Shall we join them, Minerva?"

Automatically, the headmistress started to back away. "Now, Hermione, you know I can't do that. I am headmistress, after all. I have to maintain a modicum of propriety. It would not be appropriate."

The younger witch refused to let go of her arm and gestured to the happy chaos with the other. "And this is? Do you really want to be that much of a hypocrite?"

The headmistress winced. That accusation stung, and she responded angrily, "How dare you call me that!"

Hermione smirked back at her, folding her arms across her chest. Minerva was forced to admit that her former student had certainly grown a backbone during the year she had been gone.

"Then prove you're not a hypocrite. Come with me." And her young professor extended her hand.

Minerva hesitated. There was a feeling of finality with this, the idea that, if she accepted Hermione's hand, she could never go back to who she once was. She could never go back to being alone.

Did she really want to be alone?

The headmistress swallowed hard, took Hermione's hand, and let her lead her down into a much happier battle than the last one they had been involved in. The students and teachers parted when they saw the headmistress. No one dared to risk her wrath, and Minerva bit back a smile to think that she was still such a formidable witch. But really, this was a bit absurd.

So she let the smile come and raised an eyebrow at the students and professors. "Do you mind if we join you?"

The room went mad.

Of course, it was Hermione who got in the first hit on the headmistress (the thought being, if Minerva allowed it, she had really meant what she had said). But by the time Hermione had dumped a bowl of custard over the headmistress's head and said headmistress had retaliated with mashed potatoes and gravy in her professor's face, they had been thoroughly convinced that she meant it.

And then the food was flying again, and Minerva was laughing, laughing like she hadn't laughed in years. She caught Hermione in her arms and kissed her passionately, startling the witch even as she wasted no time pulling the headmistress closer. When they finally broke apart, they were both red in the face for reasons that had nothing to do with the cherry tart dripping down their cheeks.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Hermione asked softly, suddenly shy, looking at Minerva from under the sticky clumps of hair that hung in her eyes. The older woman had always refused her before.

"I will…after we get ourselves and the rest of the school washed off."

Hermione giggled, looking around at her coworkers and her students. "I don't even think the house elves can manage to fix this one. I don't suppose Hogwarts could help?"

And as soon as she said it, the food on the floor, the tables, and the walls was gone and everyone looked up startled as it started to pour down rain…inside the Great Hall. Everyone watched in amazement as Hogwarts herself saw to the needs of her children and staff and gave them a thorough bath. Finally, the rain stopped, and wands waved as drying charms were applied, the older students helping the younger ones who had not yet learned the charm.

"Welll, this is proof that Hogwarts takes care of her own," Minerva commented when she realized the whole school seemed to be waiting for her to speak. And then she did something else as well.

The applause was deafening as Minerva McGonagall kissed Hermione Granger.

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